


Moments Of Fear

by KatieWho



Series: The Joys Of Thinking [2]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Andrew DeLuca is Good with Kids, Andrew Is A Good Nanny, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hugs, Merluca - Freeform, Post 15x08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-15 21:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16941417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatieWho/pseuds/KatieWho
Summary: “DeLuca...I need to ask you a favour of which I know it has nothing to do with any of your tasks as a resident.”, she started and her counterpart cocked his head slightly, ready to listen. “I have an urgent surgery now, Maggie and Amelia are busy with their own. The nanny called in sick just as the school rang to tell me they’re closed today because of a teacher shortage. I can’t leave them alone but this surgery…”“You want me to watch your kids for the few hours you’ll be stuck in the OR?”, deduced Andrew grinning.“Yes…?”





	1. Breathe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here I am with another MerLuca story for you!  
> I am not a native speaker, so should you find any mistakes please let me know so I can fix them!  
> I added it as part of a series but it can be read as a stand-alone as well.
> 
> I got the idea for this story from **Brook4ever** on YouTube who said in a comment they'd like to see a situation in the show where DeLuca and Merediths' kids get in a somewhat dangerous situation and Andrew keeps them calm and bonds with them and this popped right into my head. It got longer than I expected it would.

She looked around and tried to come up with a solution. This operation was very important and if she couldn’t get in the OR as soon as possible it might lead to dire consequences for her patient. So she looked around, holding Bailey on one hand while Zola was standing next to her. Ellis was already in day-care but she couldn’t bring her other two there as well, the nursery school teachers had made that abundantly clear on multiple occasions. So she needed someone to look after her kids because she couldn't just let them sit up in the galley all day and watch her perform surgery, even though she knew Zola would’ve just loved it. Bailey not so much though.  
Maggie and Amelia were busy with their own surgeries which would take a few hours at least but promised to see their nieces and nephew after they finished.  
Her pager made another noise and she bit her lip to keep that annoyed sigh to herself. She hated moments like these where she had to choose between her kids and her work. Her mother had done it herself too many times which is why she promised herself she wouldn’t. But this surgery needed to be done and soon and she couldn’t let her residents or interns do it by themselves. She needed to find someone.  
“Mom?” Zola looked at her from where she was stood next to her and Meredith tried for a reassuring smile. “I need to get to surgery but I don’t want to leave you alone...”, she tried to explain while her daughter slowly nodded. “Aunt Maggie and Aunt Amy…”, her girl offered and Meredith smirked. “They are very busy themselves but wanted to visit you later.” She ran her hand over her daughters’ hair just as she watched her interns arrive at the hospital. She didn’t trust any of them enough to look after her kids, except for maybe one…  
“Andrew!”, Bailey squealed excitedly and had shrugged off her hand before launching himself into the direction of the man who he seemed to consider a friend. Zola looked at her brother warily just as Meredith came an idea. She watched her son and Andrew interact from a distance thoughtfully. Andrew had turned around confused for a second when he heard his name being called but lit up when he saw Bailey approaching and kneeled down. He caught the young boy in his arms.  
The idea having formed in her mind, Meredith made her way over to her son and student who had picked Bailey up. Andrew changed a few quick words with his colleagues before walking towards them while the boy in his arms wouldn’t stop talking.  
They met halfway.  
“Morning.”, her tone was almost a whisper and Andrew threw a hushed “Hey” her way. They looked at each other for a short moment, neither saying a word. Bailey kept talking while Zola watched her mom and Andrew with a scrutinizing gaze.  
“DeLuca...I need to ask for a favour of which I know it has nothing to do with any of your tasks as a resident.”, she started and her counterpart cocked his head slightly, ready to listen and to help her any way he could. Her pager made another sound.  
“I have an urgent surgery now, Maggie and Amelia are busy with their own. The nanny called in sick just as the school rang to tell me they’re closed today because of a teacher shortage. I can’t leave them alone but this surgery…”  
“You want me to watch your kids for the few hours you’ll be stuck in the OR?”, deduced Andrew grinning even before Meredith could properly ask the question.  
“Yes…?”, she spluttered and looked at him with an uncertain smile. “I would completely understand if you don’t want to but I’ll speak to the attending you’re assigned to today myself and clear it with them…”  
“Alright.”, his smirking lips offered and he shrugged. “I’m glad to be of help but...you now owe me one amazing surgery!” The playful grin wouldn’t leave his face during his words and Meredith could feel the corners of her mouth turning upwards on their own accord. He’d had that effect on her quite often in the last few days and she didn’t really know how to resist. And she had done some thinking as well.  
“Okay.”, she replied with a smirk, the relief evident in her eyes. “Thank you!”  
She turned to Zola. “You stay with Andrew here, okay? Maggie or Amy will be up soon to see you and I’ll be as well, as soon as I’m finished with this surgery!” She promised her daughter who simply nodded. Meredith planted a quick kiss on her forehead before turning to Bailey who still sat in Andrews' arms. She bent down to kiss the top of his head. A few strands of her hair tickled Andrews arm who suddenly realised how close she was. It did funny things to him, having her this close. It drove him insane.  
Meredith suddenly sensed his proximity as well and took a quick step back to put some distance between them. That kind of distraction wasn’t helping her at the moment. “See you later!”, she called over her shoulder, listening to her pager going off once more.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Andrews gaze lingered on Meredith's retreating form before he turned to Bailey and Zola. Two pairs of eyes watched him expectantly and he smiled at them. He put the boy on the ground and took his hand. “Let’s find something for us to do then, shall we?”, he said and started walking into the direction of the elevators, making sure Zola was following them.  
“Andrew, where are we going?”, Zola wondered aloud. She hadn’t really warmed up to him yet, but if her mom liked him, and her brother seemed to too, she should at least try to as well.  
The young surgeon turned his smiling face to her while pushing one of the buttons. His thoughts had taken a quick detour to the moment he had shared in this elevator, but her question had made him come back to reality. “We’re going to the floor your mom is working on and see what we can find there to keep us preoccupied until she comes back, is that okay?” He could feel the reservation she still felt towards him and wanted to work on that so she could let go of these doubts in his presence. She was smart, just like her mom, and understood much more than one might think, so he wanted her to feel like a part of this decision. Maybe he could win some brownie points with her?  
Zola nodded as an answer to his question. “That’s fine. Do you think we could go to that huge board? Daddy used to take me whenever we waited for mom.”, she explained and sounded so very young and innocent at that moment. Her eyes seemed sad though, remembering the time she spent with her father. Andrew was reminded of how much these kids had lost already, as had their mom.  
“Of course we can take a look at the board! But you’ll have to stay nearby. The nurses and doctors need the room to work and we wouldn’t want to be standing in their way. Also, I don’t want to lose you guys.”  
The girl smiled up at him brightly and even Bailey nodded enthusiastically. The elevator doors closed and the boy started talking once more. Andrew thought that this morning might not be so bad.

They spent a good hour studying the board, Zola not wanting to leave because she was entirely too fascinated by all the people rushing by. But after some time even her stomach grumbled noisily so Andrew took them to get some food. They were now sitting in one of the common rooms, enjoying their delicious warm dishes while the kids interrogated him about all kinds of topics.  
It was fun, spending time with them and to get to know these little humans who were the most important thing in the world to Meredith. And to learn more about their mom in the process, getting to understand her slightly better this way.  
“And then mommy blew the water bubbles!”, Bailey told him excitedly and Andrew brushed some of his bangs to the side. “Soap bubbles.”, he corrected affectionately and listened to the tale of Meredith bathing her son when he was sick, making him feel better immediately because she blew some soap bubbles.  
Zola added some stories of her own here and there as she seemed to feel more comfortable in his presence already.  
When they finished eating, the brown-haired girl looked at him with wide pleading eyes, as if she wanted to ask a question but couldn’t muster up the courage yet.  
“What’s up, sweetie?”, he asked her eventually. “Do you think we could go see Ellis?”, the words tumbled quickly out of her mouth and Andrew looked at her confusedly for a moment before nodding. “Of course!”, he answered her smiling and together they started walking to the elevators once more.  
They'd just gotten in and waited for the doors to close when a hand shot out to keep them from doing so entirely. A young man got in who couldn’t have been much older than 35 years old but his eyes seemed too sad and exhausted to be anything but 85 years old. His bald pasty head reflected the elevator lights and his wide brown jacket made him seem wispy. Muddy trousers that were only held up by a belt on his hips supported that sight. His face appeared haggard but there lay a cool determination in his eyes.  
Zola suddenly pushed herself against his leg and grabbed Andrews jacket sleeve in her tiny fingers. The dark-haired man looked down at her worriedly, as he could feel the anxiety going off of her in waves. “Zola?”, he sounded tentative, not wanting to scare her further, but the girl just watched him wide-eyed. Her face turned to the other man again and she kept clawing at his arm. “Andrew…”  
Bailey had slipped closer to him as well and Andrew put both arms around the children, not really understanding why they reacted this way and to what.  
His pager beeped.  
He tried to get a hand on his pager rather laboriously, with two kids holding onto him for dear life, and was about to read the message on it when the man jerkily spun around to face them with stone-cold eyes.  
A chill ran down Andrews' spine making him cringe slightly as his hand fell to his side, the pager hanging loosely in it. He pushed Bailey and Zola behind himself. Something was very wrong with this man, he seemed calculating all of a sudden while his eyes traced the kids and something in them made him shiver.  
Andrew tightened his hold around them, while both of them pushed closer to him, so much that it almost hurt.  
“Sir, can I help you?”, his voice was strong and sounded calmer than he actually felt. He wanted out of this elevator, wanted at least for the kids to be out of it but instead felt like he was stuck in a cage with no way of getting out.  
“You’re a doctor, aren’t you?”, the stranger slowly started talking while his left hand made its way into his pocket. “Explain to me how doctors that work here, doctors that are as renowned and experienced as they come, can be so blOODY INCOMPETENT?” He screamed these last words into their faces and his hand made its way out of the pocket again and something cold reflected against the lights of the elevator. Pure rage had turned his face into an ugly grimace, while he turned his surprisingly calm arm towards Andrew, holding a gun to his chest. “Answer my question.”, he panted through clenched teeth and Andrew felt the panic slowly seep into his bones.  
He pushed the kids further behind him, his body hiding them from sight and he swallowed as his gaze fell onto the barrel of the gun pointed at him.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Meredith had just finished her two-hour surgery and pulled off her scrub cap when she noticed her colleagues nervously bustling about.  
Most of the pagers beeped urgently at once and the owners looked at them with almost scared expressions.  
“What's going on?”, she turned questioningly to one of the scrub nurses who swallowed. “A code has been called, Dr. Grey. The hospital is shut down and we were advised to get patients to safety and get in a room and lock us in.”  
The explanation made her feel a weird sense of deja-vu.  
“And the reason?”, she heard herself ask calmly but felt like she knew the answer already.  
“A man has been seen with a gun. He's not a police officer.”  
It felt like the world had stopped turning all of a sudden and everything was moving much too slow. She laid one of her hands on her chest while memories flooded her brain and her mind turned to her kids, who were wandering around somewhere in this hospital. History couldn’t repeat itself in such a cruel fashion, could it? She took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair.  
“Alright, someone’s going to page Dr. DeLuca right this instant and lets me know immediately when he responds.”, she requested and went looking for a lockable room where they could hide out even if she wanted nothing more than to go looking for her children. But she wouldn’t be of any use to them if she was dead, would she?  
“Everyone goes in this room right now!”, she ordered her colleagues who stormed in from every corner to get into this common room, all the while quietly talking to each other. She closed the blinds quickly and waited until even the last one got in, before locking the door.  
“We should keep silent.”, she said in the most authoritative voice she could muster right now. “Where was he seen last?” The question was directed aimlessly into the room and she waited for someone to answer.  
“At the elevators of the surgical floor, Doctor.”, one of the nurses whispered and Meredith nodded curtly.  
“Alright, the police is going to secure every floor separately and will get the people out one by one. We’ll have to wait a while.”  
Her voice seemed much too loud in the crowded room and she let herself sink to the floor, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She couldn’t live through this again.  
And her kids...her concern for them ate her alive and she prayed to every single deity there was, every god and ghost, that her babies were somewhere safe with Andrew.  
_Let them be fine._ , the voice in her head repeated over and over, _Please just let them be fine_.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Bailey and Zola were hiding behind him still while he stood up taller and lifted his chin. He couldn’t show he was afraid, had to be strong for the kids whose lives were in his hands. If he said one wrong word it might mean their end.  
_Stay calm, Andrew._ , he thought to himself, still holding the kids’ shoulders in his hands and giving them a short reassuring squeeze.  
The man with the gun grew impatient while his eyes turned cold once more. He had hit the emergency stop button, effectively stopping the elevator in its tracks. Not even a week ago he had almost enjoyed being stuck in here, but not right now.  
“I’m waiting.”, he spat out, furious at the lack of an answer.  
“Sir, I don’t follow.”  
“Oh you know...I have been planning this for a while now.”, his stance loosened somewhat and even his features seemed to calm down, his eyes still held the same chill though. “By now someone will have noticed me and what I’m planning and they will have called the police. So the following are the only things I need you for right now. The first one’s rather passive: you and these two darling children are my hostages.” His grin had turned vicious and waved the gun around as if it was a toy, making Andrew wish he could take a step back. Bailey started crying quietly and Zola sniffled, burying her face in his arm.  
“Number two involves you finding answers to these questions I’m asking, otherwise I cannot promise I won’t start with you, right here in this elevator.” The tone was surprisingly calm, a hideous smile on a sunken in face.  
Even if he hadn’t said the words, Andrew still knew exactly what he meant by that: if he didn’t give him what he wanted, they’d be dead.  
His pager broke the short stretch of silence and the stranger held his hand out for it, annoyance evident. “Give it to me.”, he demanded and Andrew obliged, but only because of the kids by his side.  
“Who is Grey?”, the bald man wondered and Andrew could feel the kids trembling when they heard their mothers name. The young man paused for a moment and thought about what to say next. He needed to find out what that guy needed the answers for and what he had planned.  
“I loathe waiting.”, the man snarled, his whole demeanour changing once more. He lifted the hand holding the gun.  
“She’s a doctor at this hospital.”, he said plainly, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible while pulling his wards closer still.  
“Why is she looking for you?”, he asked almost offhandedly as if they were having an everyday conversation. “Is she your girlfriend?”  
“She is not. And I cannot answer you, why she’s asking for me, I don’t know. It’s probably concerning a patient.”, he tried giving him half-truths and hoped it wouldn’t come to bite him in the ass later. But it could only be good if he didn’t know these two were her kids. That way he couldn’t use them as leverage of any sort. Even if she probably paged him because of her children.  
“Well.”, the cachectic man said slowly and leaned back against the doors. “Back to my questions....who’s head of Oncology?”  
“Dr. Norton.”, Andrew shrugged with his shoulders. He had never worked with the man much.  
“Norton…”, the man mumbled before nodding eventually. “Chief of General Surgery?”, he added and Andrew’s heart stopped beating for a second. Zola snivelled. “Andrew…”, she cried in a broken tone and his heart broke for her, hearing the desperation in her voice. “I know, sweetie.” He patted her head before turning his attention back towards the strange man.  
“That would be Dr. Grey.”, he answered him finally und swallowed hard. He had to protect these kids, no matter how. If he were to lie completely or play dumb it could put them in even more danger than they were in already and he couldn’t risk that.  
“Do you think these two are good teachers?”  
Andrew could only nod. He thought he understood what kind of plan the man had in mind, but he couldn’t figure out a reason why. It bothered and scared him equally. He couldn’t be responsible for these kids losing their mother, couldn’t be the reason they’d have to grow up without her.  
“Why do you think it is that they haven’t taught their students anything then?”, his voice had adopted a dangerously calm tone.  
“I...don’t understand.”, Andrew whispered breathlessly.  
“That’s not of importance.”, the stranger waved aside his implied question and turned around again to make the elevator move. “We’ll pay them a quick visit then.” It sounded weirdly innocent, the way he said it as if he wasn’t planning on hurting them. “Well back to your...assignment: you are my hostages and will be walking in front of me, just to be safe. And if you even think about running or making the kids run away…”, he laughed at him while coming to stand behind the three. He leaned closer to Andrew and turned serious. “Then I will shoot the little girl first.”

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

“Did someone hear from DeLuca?”, Meredith threw the question into the room in a lowered voice and watched as everyone shook their head no. Almost an hour had passed without anything happening. They hadn’t even heard from someone outside the hospital.  
She let her head fall against the wall tiredly and sighed heavily. Her panic grew faster the more minutes crept past, the more she could think back to the time of the shooting that had happened in this hospital...she had lost a child and almost her husband as well on that day. She remembered the desperation that hit her hard when she had helplessly watched him get shot, then watched him almost bleed out on the cold floor.  
This time around the desperation seemed to be even more unbearable, it was as if every breath of air she wanted to take was ripped away right before it could touch her lips. Because this time her kids could be in mortal peril and she didn’t know where they were. Or Andrew for that matter. She couldn’t think of any other reason for his silence. She closed her eyes and tried getting her breathing back under control, thought of Andrew who had helped her calm down again when they had been stuck in an elevator not a week before. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She didn’t have the time to drown in panic and desperation.  
The room went deathly quiet when there suddenly sounded footsteps in the corridor. Nobody even dared to breathe.  
The footsteps quietened and two voices could be heard talking under their breath, making it hard to understand what was said.  
“We are with the police! This floor has been cleared, open the door!”, a voice suddenly filled the silence and everyone in the room looked at each other.  
Meredith took another deep breath before slowly standing up from the cold floor.  
Nobody had dared move even a centimetre and stared stunned at her. “Okay.”, she yelled back. This was about blindly trusting these people outside, how were they supposed to know if this wasn’t a trap? Small steps brought her closer to the locked door and she fished out her key to carefully open the door.  
Three men stood in front of her, bulletproof clothing covering their bodies and a rifle in their hands. Some of the tension left her.  
“We’re twelve people.”, she offered one of the officers with a quick hand gesture into the room while the other secured the surroundings and the third man stepped into the room to her colleagues, scanning them for firearms. “All clear.”, she heard him say and the first officer nodded.  
“We’ll get four people out each time, the rest has to wait with Mahoney here until we get back. We’ll get you out one by one, so everyone stay calm.” The explanation was held short and everyone jumped up at the same time, wanting to be part of the first group. Meredith took a step back so the others could get out first. How was she supposed to leave the hospital when her kids were still here somewhere in all likelihood? She shook her head gently and leaned back against the wall behind her. What if her kids really were in danger? She didn’t think she could survive it or live without them, if anything happened to her kids.  
The first group cautiously started their way out and the door was locked once more. The eight of them, no, nine, were sitting on the cold floor and waiting for what would happen next.  
The static of Mahoney’s walkie-talkie broke through her reverie and she tilted her head inconspicuously in his direction to listen more closely to what was being said. “We found the gunman. He has hostages.” The voice on the other sounded like he was out of breath.  
“How many hostages?”, Mahoney swore as hushed as he was able and turned his back to the room slightly.  
“Three. A man and two children. There have been no signs of injuries yet.”  
Meredith went pale. Those couldn’t be-...? Her pulse quickened and she strained to listen to the rest of the conversation, hoping for something to ease her mind, something to stop the panic rising in her throat.  
Instead, a shot rang out.  
She thought she might get sick any moment now as one of her hands flew to her mouth and she bent over forward.  
Her breathing hitched.  
_Oh please god no._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you in the next chapter! ;)


	2. State Of Shock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second part!  
> I think for the sake of the story let's all just forget Meredith ever agreed to have drinks with Linc...
> 
> And now enjoy! :)

Andrew could feel the cold metal pressing against his temple and closed his eyes for a moment, taking it to gather himself. He had never been easily scared but right now he could feel all bravery slipping away that he’d normally muster up in a matter of seconds.  
He pushed the kids in front of him, bringing some distance between them and the crazy man behind him. Bailey and Zola had clutched the hands he had held out to them as tightly as possible, clinging to him as if their life depended on it. And it did, didn’t it?  
The people around them were staring at them, stress etched onto their features. The bulletproof clothing strapped against their rigid bodies, they held their weapons tightly in their hands, barrels pointed at the four of them. He felt the panic boiling up inside of him as he looked at the guns. He knew that one wrong move could mean their end.  
They stopped abruptly as Bailey went extremely stiff and refused to move an inch further.  
The pairs of eyes were still staring at them unmovingly.  
“Andrew…”, the young boy wailed and looked at him, panicking, his lower lip was trembling and there were tear streaks on his cheeks. The sight broke the heart of the young surgeon. All he had wanted was to spend a fun afternoon with the children…  
“Hey buddy, I know that you’re scared and afraid.”, he swallowed his emotions when he heard the murmur of the man behind him to just keep _moving_. “Me too. But you have to keep walking Bailey, please.”  
Zola had stiffened as well, shivering as she heard the other man. But she stubbornly looked ahead, taking the hand of her brother and taking a step forward with him. Bailey finally kept on walking and they continued on their path.  
“If one of you makes one wrong move, this pretty boy here will have a bullet stuck in his skull.”, the haggard man shouted loudly to the crowd of police officers and supported his claim by pushing the gun against Andrew’s head once more.  
Andrew bit back a pained moan and kept on going with slow steady steps. _Nobody will start shooting suddenly, will they?_ , his inner voice stumbled over its own words and he wanted to shake his head. _Focus Andrew. You have to think about the kids. Your panic will not be of any help to them or you._  
The guy wanted to go to the surgical ward. Wanted to search for Meredith. But how far would he come with this huge number of officers in the building? Why was nobody doing anything?!  
They were still stared at, while this guy kept pushing them in the direction of the ward. The stranger kept his gaze on the policemen, hindering them from intervening in any way shape or form without him noticing right away.  
“Stop!”, he screamed all of a sudden and Andrew noticed in the corner of his eye that one cop had moved just the slightest. Just one short tremble of his hand and the tension rose to an immeasurable level. “Don’t move!”  
The man lifted his hand away from Andrews temple and held it upwards in the air, firing a warning shot.  
Everyone flinched heavily, especially Zola and Bailey. The both of them tried to hide between his legs, which was extremely difficult considering their current position.  
“I will not say it again! Next bullet will strike the pretty one!”  
The words hung coldly in the room and he kept pushing the three of them further towards the ward doors which weren’t that far off anymore.  
“Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay.”, Andrew whispered to Zola and Bailey whose moves seemed to grow heavier the nearer they got to the doors and he feared they might collapse any second. “I’m here, okay. Everything’s going to be fine. I’m here...”  
He kept repeating the words over and over, hugging them gently, well, as good as hugging was possible in the current situation they were in.

They had barely made it past the doors when the guy jumped away from them and the swinging doors, all the while keeping the gun trained on them. The expression on his face was mad and wild. He was even more convinced of his mission now, that Andrew could read in his eyes.  
“I’ll help you, alright. I will do whatever you want but let these kids go!”, the dark-haired man begged and kneeled down beside the little ones who immediately ran into his arms. They both cried quietly, even hiccuping lightly, and Andrew just held them closer.  
He had turned them to the side slightly, his body shielding them from harm while he hugged them tightly. “I want mommy.”, Bailey buried himself into his chest and the words hurt Andrew much more than anything else ever could. “I know buddy. You’ll see her soon, okay?”, he tried to soothe and reassure the almost hysterical boy in his arms.  
“Make him stop!”, the other man screamed and Andrew felt the anger in his veins boil but swallowed it and took a few deep breaths before addressing the other.  
“These are kids! They are scared to death. They want to go home to their family. Just let them go and you’ll have the peace and quiet you want!”, he eventually responded, biting back his fury.  
“Fine.”  
Andrew turned his head around so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. His heart stopped a beat. That was great. He could think better when the kids were safe.  
“I will not tell you again!”, he yelled at them again and pointed the gun at the surgeon’s head who hugged the kids even tighter for a second before pushing them away gently. He looked into Zola’s teary brown eyes. “Sweetheart, take your brother and run through these doors towards the policemen. No look back. Now. I’ll see you later.”, he explained urgently and hoped with every fibre of his being that she understood. “You have to go. Now! Go!”  
He pushed them towards the door.  
Zola hesitated before slipping through the heavy doors with her brother. Andrew could hear their tiny fast footsteps departing further and further and he let his head fall to his chest, relief washing over him as he kept kneeling on the cold floor.  
But the feeling didn’t last long, for a second later he could feel the icy metal on the side of his head once more.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

The doors opened swinging and every single police officer raised their weapons towards it, expecting the gunman to stand in front of them.  
Instead, two kids ran their way and everyone dropped their arms to their sides as to not frighten them further. The young girl looked at them and halted, still holding onto the hand of her brother.  
The commanding officer put his gun into the holster and squatted, his arms bend forward in a trust-inspiring manner. “I’m Henry. You are safe now, come here.”, he told them trying to get them to go to him, but the girl wouldn’t move.  
Because Zola was thinking intensely.  
_Andrew wouldn’t have sent us out here if it wasn’t safe, right? But all these people…_ , the girl looked around, watching everyone intently, before squeezing Bailey’s fingers. She looked back at Henry the police officer.  
_Mom always said that we can trust policemen. And they’re wearing a uniform and badge._ , she confirmed to herself. She nodded slightly and started walking towards Henry, still holding her brother’s hand.  
“Alright, we’ll get you out of here.”, he assured them and Zola nodded approvingly. “What are your names?”, he asked when they got close enough to him and behind the line of cops that were still guarding the door closely, talking quietly amongst themselves.  
“Zola Shepherd. That’s my brother Bailey.”, the young girl answered without a hint of hesitation. “My mom is Meredith Grey. My aunts are Maggie Pierce and Amelia Shepherd. Our uncle is Alex Karev.” The cop looked impressed while accompanying them to a nearby ambulance to get them checked for any injuries.  
“Smith!”, he called for one of his men and handed him a notepad, the names he’d just been told written down on it. “Find me one of them, any one of them, I don’t care who it is. They’re related to these kids here.”  
His colleague nodded in affirmation and started looking. Henry turned back to the two children who were holding onto each other for dear life. He beckoned one of the paramedics over.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

“He set the kids free. Unharmed.”, the same voice was heard over the walkie-talkie and Meredith felt her heart almost stop while a single tear found its way over her cheek. She had to keep it together for a little while longer.  
“Good. The man’s still a hostage?”, Mahoney wondered quietly which was confirmed to him shortly after.  
The second group was being evacuated, so they were waiting till the rest of them could finally leave as well.  
“The gunman is now in the surgical wing, floor 3. Watch out.” the voice crackled through the silence once more. “Extremely dangerous and unstable. Be careful.”  
Mahoney squinted his eyes once, while Meredith watched his facial expressions carefully. She thought she understood what it meant. Besides, there weren’t that far off from the ward.  
“Okay people, listen! Nobody utters a single word, understand?”, demanded the police officer and frightened eyes turned on him, before everyone slowly started nodding. But Meredith just wanted to see her babies. Wanted to make sure they were fine and unharmed. And also wanted to check if Andrew was fine as well.  
By now she was even more convinced her kids had been the hostages. She needed to check if they were okay! Just had to make sure with her own two eyes.  
Footsteps could be heard again and the tension in the room rose another degree.  
Mahoney held one hand up to keep the others in the room from making a noise because he didn’t recognise the steps. He knew what his colleagues sounded like and those weren’t them.  
“WHERE IS SHE?”, a voice screamed loudly all of a sudden and a dull thud could be heard as if someone had been pushed against something.  
“I don’t know!”, another voice answered and Meredith could feel her heart stop a beat for the third time this day. Andrew!  
“You said she was head of this surgical floor!”, the stranger hissed and another dull thumb was heard as a fist apparently made contact with the nearby wall.  
“I know! But I can’t tell you where she is right this second because I just don’t know!”, the young surgeon exclaimed in response and Meredith could hear the slight desperation and even fear in his voice. Who was this guy looking for? And why?  
Mahoney had crept closer to one of the windows and looked through the blinds to assess the situation outside. He grabbed his walkie-talkie and gave the position of the man outside in a quiet tone who he now had identified as the gunman.  
Meredith tensed up while the voice of the crazy man just grew in volume.  
“If you don’t bring me to this Dr. Grey this instant, I will have to make good on my promise!”, he spat angrily to Andrews’ face and all eyes were suddenly trained on the blonde surgeon in the room.  
Meredith's eyes became wide as saucers and she stared back. He was looking for her! He wanted her!  
“I don’t know where she is!”, Andrew repeated his earlier words and tried freeing himself of the man’s grip, which was pushing him even harder against the wall, gun pointed at his abdomen.  
He wanted to knock him off, but at the same time didn’t want to risk getting hit with a bullet.  
“Then I seem to have no other choice but to get rid of you, you useless piece!”, the voice had gotten even louder than before.  
“Stop!”, Meredith yelled suddenly. She hadn’t even noticed she was walking even a centimetre when she unexpectedly found herself eye to eye with the two men, hands held up in front of her in a surrendering gesture to keep the gunman calm.  
Andrews’ face turned into a pained grimace when he realised it was her. “Meredith....”, he whispered pleadingly. The gun to his abdomen was gone and was now pointing at the woman standing before them.  
“WHAT DO YOU WANT?”, the bald man screamed at her, ready to just shoot her any moment.  
“It’s me you’re looking for. I’m Meredith Grey. You’re looking for me.”  
She didn’t understand herself and could only shake her head at herself inwardly. That’s just like what happened with the bomb years ago. Didn’t she have an ounce of self-preservation instinct inside of her?  
The stranger let go of Andrew completely and all at once started grinning devilishly as he took a few steps in her direction, pointing the gun at her chest.  
“Finally I found you.”

Meredith stiffened as she looked straight at the barrel aimed at her. Flashbacks danced in her head and she resisted the urge to close her eyes to keep them out. She diverted her gaze to instead look at Andrew who was staring back at her, posture just as rigid.  
“Meredith…”, he whispered anew, his voice sounding choked, but Meredith shook her head.  
“Zola and Bailey?”, she asked him instead, not wanting to think about being confronted with her own very possible demise right now. “They’re safe.”, he answered shortly. She nodded.  
“Oh, so those were your kids.”, the man mumbled, still threatening her. “Shouldn’t have let them leave then.” He almost seemed saddened by the thought of having let his leverage over her go.  
Meredith had turned her eyes back on him and stubbornly lifted her chin. She wouldn’t allow him to realise she was scared and use it to his advantage.  
By now he was standing almost directly in front of her and the coldness of the gun was seeping through her navy blue scrubs where it was pressed against her abdomen. She wanted to move away, bring some distance between them, but the man’s other hand had found its way to her neck and trapped her on the spot.  
Andrew jumped away from the wall he had still been standing against and looked at her with desperation in his eyes. He didn’t know what to do. He just wanted to be able to help her but didn’t know how.  
Light steps sounded on the floor but the stranger seemed too engrossed in this moment to notice them. “I have thought long and hard, you know?”, he began to tell while taking slow, tiny steps around her. The gun followed his moves over her body and as he stopped right behind her he pushed the hard metal against her right side. His left hand clasped her chin ruggedly and pulled it closer to his face. “How I could make you feel the pain that I have to endure because of your incompetence.” His whispered the words into her ear and Meredith felt herself grow sick again in a very short amount of time.  
She locked eyes with Andrew once more.  
The man laughed humourlessly and pressed the pistol even harder into her side. She squinched up her face, the pain she’s feeling evident.  
“What I want to take from you because you took my life…”, he continued his monologue thoughtfully.  
“What are you talking about?”, Meredith gritted her teeth, repressing the pained moan that wanted to make its way up her throat because of the pressure that was jammed against her skin.  
Andrew watched helplessly, just holding Meredith’s gaze and trying to stand by her this way.  
“You said I was cured! YOU gave me HOPE. And it is your INCOMPETENCE that missed something. It is your fault that I AM DYING.”, he shouted at her and the surgeon flinched involuntarily but repressed her rising tears.  
“But just killing you…”, his voice had become quieter again, “Nooo, that’s not enough. That’s too fast. It’s too easy.” He stepped around to her other side, the gun now held against her spine. “It was stupid of me, letting these kids go.” He shrugged slightly and shifted his face closer to her ear. “Oh, but this one here. Just look how much he worries about you.”  
Her eyes flickered to Andrews, uncertain of what to do and she felt her breathing quicken.  
“Oh, he’s playing strong for you, he wants to protect you. Charming, don’t you think?”  
She knew all that, Andrew had told her himself, but how could this guy know? He shouldn’t know! It put Andrew in danger!  
“He likes you.” His eyes turned back to Meredith and she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. “But the question is: do you like him as well?”  
A malicious laugh left his throat and in a quick movement, he spun around, training the gun at Andrew who tensed startled.  
“No!”, Meredith yelled horrified as a shot rang out. It went still. In her mind the memories of Derek being shot replayed. She didn’t want to live through that again! Not again…  
Her mouth agape, she watched Andrew. But instead of him slumping down, it was the shooter.  
Suddenly many policemen stormed the scene, secured the weapon and took care of the injured at the same time.

Meredith and Andrew stared at each other for a long moment, not quite processing what had just happened, before the dark-haired man shook off his rigidity and started moving to embrace her.  
One hand found its way into her hair while the other carefully caressed her back.  
She closed her eyes and let herself fall against his broad chest. She didn’t have the strength to lift her arms and hug him back. A choked sigh escaped her and Andrew’s fingers gently wandered along her upper body to make sure she hadn’t been injured. As his left hand stroked over her right hip, Meredith flinched. “Ouch.”  
He stopped in his tracks before bringing his hands up to her shoulders. “Come on, let’s get you checked out.”, he told her in a hushed voice and wiped away the few stray tears on her cheek, she hadn’t even realised were there. He waited for her short nod before he began moving her in the direction of the exit doors that separated them from the outside world. But she stopped suddenly and watched him with a scrutinising look. “Are you hurt?”, she uttered hastily and Andrew shook his head no, trying to reassure her.  
“I’m okay. Let’s get you out of here. Your kids are probably already waiting for you.”  
The thought of her three babies made her nod and she let him push her towards the exit gently, where quite a few paramedics were awaiting them.  
Andrew wanted to leave her alone for privacy but before he could turn around she took his hand in a tight clasp and didn’t let go. “Just a moment, alright?”, she whispered pleadingly and he squeezed her hand in response. “Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! :)


	3. Caring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is: the last part! :)  
> Enjoy!

Andrew stuck close to her for the duration of the examination, but still trying to give her the appropriate space and privacy. And even though he really did try **not** to look, he couldn’t help but notice the already forming bruise the size of his palm right over her right hip.  
After putting some ointment on it the paramedics let her go and he sat down to get checked out himself. Meredith waited for him then but didn’t even bother to act like she wanted to turn her gaze in another direction. It was her way of checking that he was truly fine. So he let her.  
Not five minutes later they were both good to go and took their time walking towards the barrier, where her kids, and probably friends as well, would be already waiting.  
Meredith halted in her steps and lifted one hand to her chest, before taking in a deep breath. She had to be strong in front of her kids.  
“Are you okay?”, Andrew asked concerned and put a hand on her upper arm to make her look at him.  
She nodded lightly. “Yes. It’s just...the kids…” She blinked as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She realised once more just how dangerous today had been. How close they had come…  
Her student smiled softly at her and gently stroked over her arm. “I understand.” He waited another five minutes with her until she nodded again and they started moving once more.  
As soon as they stepped out of the shadow of the ambulance they heard two young voices calling for Meredith. “Mommy!”, Zola and Bailey were running up to her and she kneeled down just as they fell into her arms. The relief she felt upon having her kids in her arms, safe and sound, after this day couldn’t possibly be put into words so she just hugged them tighter to her chest and felt their little hearts beat rhythmically.  
Behind the barrier stood Alex with Ellis in his arms, watching them with worried eyes, before he slowly made his way over to them.  
“Mer, are you alright?”, he asked and regarded Andrew with a look. The young man stood slightly aside but kept his gaze on the small family, as if he didn’t want to leave just yet.  
“I’m fine.”  
Alex squinted at her for a second, doubting her words, but instead of calling her out he turned to Ellis, smiling. “Look darling, Mommy’s here.” He took a step closer and while Zola let go of her mother, Meredith took her youngest daughter into her arms and kissed her hair.  
“I’m so glad you’re okay!”, the blonde surgeon sighed and blinked a few times.  
Meanwhile her eldest child had turned around and was walking to Andrew, carefully pulling at his sleeve when she got close enough.  
“Andrew?”, she asked shyly and for a moment the young man felt like he was back in the elevator.  
“Yes, Zola?”  
But instead of answering him, she just hugged the man who had protected her all day with all his strength. With a slight but sad smile, he returned the hug, squeezing her against his chest, when he suddenly felt another pair of arms sneak around his torso.  
He looked down and saw the blonde head of hair of Bailey who was now clinging to him as well. “Thank you Andrew!”, the boy said happily and the young surgeon laughed out loud.  
Kids were unbelievable.

Meredith stood up from her kneeling position and watched the scene unfold with Ellis in her arms. Her kids were thanking Andrew in their very own way and she couldn’t help but smile at the sight.  
He was good with kids, that wasn’t news to her and apparently, her girl had a crush on the charming doctor now as well. She grinned.  
“Mer, I’ll take you guys home, come on.”, Alex said softly beside her and she looked at him gratefully.  
“Okay you two, let’s go home.”, she called to her kids and watched Andrew thoughtfully. His shoulders still seemed tense.  
“Mom?”, Zola started hesitantly and turned towards her while still holding onto Andrews’ hand. “Can Andrew come with us?” Her gaze seemed innocent enough and Meredith looked helplessly to the younger man.  
“Sweetheart, I think Andrew might want to get home himself and...sleep.”, she mumbled as an answer. It didn’t feel right to let him go like this, not at all, but she couldn’t just expect him to want to spend the evening at their home. He’s had a rough day.  
“But mommy...who will be looking out for Andrew then? He needs someone to look after him. Just like you do with us.”, she explained with childish certainty and the blonde smirked. That was no bad reason.  
“Well, if that’s so and if Andrew wants to come, he’s welcome to.”, she responded eventually and her daughter immediately turned around to look at her hero with big pleading eyes. “Please Andrew! Will you come with us?”  
The dark-haired man looked between mother and daughter uncertainly. He did want to go with them, simply to be able to properly make sure that the kids were fine - and Meredith too - but he didn’t want to force himself upon them or interfere with their evening.  
“Come on, DeLuca. She won’t let up until you agree.”, Meredith interjected, laughing softly. She nodded towards the car so he’d follow. Andrew nodded, grinning himself now and let Zola, who still hadn’t let go of his hand, pull him towards Alex’ car.  
_Just as she was calling you Andrew, she turned back to calling you DeLuca…_ , he couldn’t understand how the simple use of his last name could hurt like that.

“Do you need anything else?”, Alex wondered out loud after he’d helped to get the kids inside. Like a well-oiled machine, he and his longest friend had stowed away the children’s things and took care of the kids while Andrew was just standing by, not knowing what to do and feeling slightly out of place.  
But Zola had asked him to be here, how was he supposed to tell her ‘No’?  
“No, that should be all.”, Meredith smiled at him. “I’m not sure I’ll be coming into work tomorrow. I want...I want to stay with the kids.”  
Alex nodded, understanding why she wanted to. “I’ll let the Chief know.”, he answered with a big grin on his face and Meredith playfully hit him. After all, he was the Chief.  
“Go home, Alex. Me and the kids will be fine. Jo’s probably already waiting for you.”, she told him eventually and lead him to the front door he knew so well. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw how her two midgets had put a claim on Andrew to play with them.  
“He did a great job today. From what I’ve been told he was stuck in the elevator with the kids and the gunman for almost an hour and a half. And then some time on the ward. It was because of him they could go.”, he told her almost casually while he watched Meredith, her gaze fixated on the other man and her kids.  
“Yeah…”, she sighed tiredly, “I’m glad they got out of there fine.”  
“I know.”  
She smiled softly at him and gave him a quick hug. “Good night, Alex. And thank you.”  
“Good night, Mer.”  
She closed the door behind him and felt the exhaustion seep through her bones after all that has happened in just a day. Even just thinking about it and what could’ve happened let her heart beat faster inside of her and she took a deep breath. _Bring the kids to bed..._ , she thought to herself and took another moment to just stand in the doorway, to watch her children play and she let it calm her down.  
Bailey was almost falling asleep sitting up and Zolas eyelids kept falling shut too. Ellis was already sleeping upstairs.  
“Come on you two, let’s get you into bed.”, she interrupted their moment and realised sadly that they didn’t even fight her. She was unaccustomed to her kids not fighting on going to bed. Rather they just stood up and went to the stairs that lead to their room. Meredith followed them a few steps behind.  
Zola poked her head around the corner. “Andrew, will you be saying good night too?”, she asked him and the young man looked helplessly at the girl’s mom.  
He had stayed here for a week once, he knew his way around the house but he’d never been involved in their daily routines.  
“Come on.”, the blonde surgeon grinned at him and together they walked up the stairs.  
When they arrived at the children’s bedroom, the two kids were already in their pyjamas and sitting on their beds. “Did you brush your teeth?”, she asked the kids who jumped up quickly and rushed into the adjoining bathroom.  
“They like to forget that.”, she mumbled in Andrew’s direction who was standing slightly behind her, watching everything with interest.  
“You are truly incredible.”, the words escaped his mouth in awe as he looked at her, smiling, before his faces scrunched up into a slight grimace. “That was inappropriate, wasn’t it?” The question sounded insecure but Meredith laughed.  
“No...I feel flattered.”, she smirked in answer and remembered the moments that had shaped their relationship lately. “I should...see what they’re up to in there.” The words were stammered and with a shake of her head, she walked into the bathroom to her kids. There had been that tension again but she still needed time. She had done a lot of thinking, yes, every night for the past week as she lay in her bed, not able to fall asleep. Had thought about his words and his offer that still sparked something in her. Was she ready to allow herself this?

Because he just didn’t know what else to do, Andrew went to the beds and pulled the blankets to the side so the kids would just need to climb in and lie down. He put their stuffed animals on the pillows and eventually sat down on the bed farthest from the bathroom. He put his head in his hands and let the memories of this day pass through his mind. So much had happened and he didn’t know how to process it all. He had a feeling that he’d come close to death today and felt the relief wash over him that he could sit here and think about it all.  
Bailey ran out of the bathroom and jumped on the mattress on which end Andrew was still sitting. He crawled over to him and put his short arms around the man’s torso to hug him once more. “Good night, Andrew.” The words were accompanied by a yawn and Andrew squeezed the boy tightly before helping him to crawl under the covers. The little human turned on his side and looked at the door to the bathroom, waiting for his mother to come to him.  
“Is the bad man gone?”, his young voice broke through the silence and Andrew watched him with sad eyes. No child should live through something like that.  
He sat beside him and combed through his unruly hair. “Yes, he’s gone.” Bailey nodded once and went back to staring at the door.  
Just then Meredith and Zola emerged from the room, the latter slowly climbing in her bed and lying down. Her mother gave her a kiss to her forehead before she walked over to Bailey, doing the same.  
“Sleep well. I love you.”, she whispered to them and two “I love you too”s responded.  
“I’ll be downstairs for a little while, call out if you can’t sleep.”  
Zola looked at Andrew who was walking to her bed rather unsure. He kneeled down beside it and wiped a strand of hair behind her ears. “Good night.”, he whispered to her and the young girl smiled. She sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck.  
“Mommy, you’ll be looking out for Andrew?”, her daughter wanted to know and Meredith watched her with soft eyes. “I will.”, she promised equally quietly and saw her girl nodding, still smiling as she lay down once more and took her teddy bear in her arms.  
“Take care of Mommy.”, she said to Andrew and closed her eyes, already fast asleep. “I will.”, Andrew assured her, laughing to himself softly as he stood up to leave the room with Meredith.  
She left the door ajar.

Andrew followed her back into the living room where Meredith almost immediately sat down on the couch, exhaustion evident in her features. When she opened her eyes she saw her guest still standing in the room and she rolled her eyes lightly. “Sit!”  
He went over to her and sat down beside her, keeping a slight distance, and relaxed against the soft cushions. “You remember the last time I was here, I didn’t leave for a week.”  
Meredith shot him an incredulous look before she started laughing.  
It was liberating to let go of her feelings like that.  
“I do remember. I don’t think I’d mind so much this time.” Her voice had taken on a serious note and she turned her head to the side to look at him only to see a rather shocked expression on his face. He hadn’t expected such words from her right now.  
“Meredith…”, Andrew started but faltered when he didn’t know what he actually wanted to say to her.  
The woman next to him closed her eyes for a few seconds and let her head fall against the back of the sofa. She didn’t understand why she chose this moment to say something like that. Today was really not the day to admit to something like this, not to mention try to act on it in any way. “Forget it.”, she discarded her own words and jumped up from her sitting position. “Water?” She didn’t wait for his answer and instead walked towards the kitchen, leaving Andrew perplexed on the sofa.  
He heard her taking glasses out of the cabinets and stood up as well to go after her. “Hey no Meredith wait!”, he exclaimed and took the few steps into the kitchen.  
He had barely expected her to actually want to give him an answer, least of all today and not like this. Of course, he’d always hoped she might consider his words and think about them to later let him know. But it had taken him by surprise and he felt rather dumbfounded right now.

Meredith stood with her back turned to him at one of the kitchen benches and didn’t react to him. She didn’t know why she was angry at _him_ of all people and that frustrated her even more. After all, he was the last one responsible for it. Instead, he’d been more than selfless and caring towards her kids today, had even protected them from a crazy gunman and here she was, snarling at him as if he was at fault for the bad things that transpired today. She had never been good at dealing with her feelings adequately. It had always been easier for her to avoid her problems and swallow everything instead of talking openly about it and letting someone come closer to her in that way. Even with Derek it had taken a long time, as with her friends. Cristina had been the only exception, they had understood each other in their own way and didn’t need to explain much when talking to each other. She sighed softly and leaned against the kitchen surface, her open palms pressed against the rather cold surface. 

Andrew was standing to her side behind her back and just watched her for a few moments when she didn’t react to him. He wasn’t sure if she truly hadn’t heard him or if she was simply choosing to ignore it. So he gave her these few seconds and said nothing before he lifted his hand and gently put it on her left shoulder but having in mind to keep his distance still, as to not make her flinch away.  
Meredith lifted her head to the ceiling but kept her eyes closed.  
He took it as a sign he had her attention and took a deep breath. “Listen Meredith, this day has been exhausting and I don’t really know myself what to make of it and what to think.”, he paused to choose his next words. “You don’t have to decide anything today, okay? You wanted time and you’ve got it. Just...don’t shut me out.”  
He wondered if he hadn’t just crossed a line saying these words as she suddenly turned to him, looking at him tiredly.  
Tired from this internal fight which she’s been fighting for weeks now, tired from this day and the fear that had accompanied her throughout. Her eyes met his and she found only how much he cared for her in them, that he didn’t want to pressure her. He respected her far too much to do that and she was thankful he understood her reaction and didn’t seem to be angry. Others would’ve left.  
She was knackered.  
“Andrew…”, his name was but a whisper on her lips and he smiled at her softly as he lifted his other hand to gently wipe a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s okay. And you know, I’m supposed to look after you.” He was now grinning openly at her while his thumb tenderly brushed over her cheek. Meredith could feel the tension in her shoulders drop off and stepped closer to him, finding shelter in his arms.  
Her head fell against his shoulder gradually while one of her arms snaked around his hip. Sie breathed him in and let go of her worries, relished in his proximity that always helped her calm down. Andrew charily lifted his hands and placed them on her shoulders, gently caressing her upper arms. He was glad when she let him. His fingers made their way to her elbow before wandering upwards again, never ceasing to brush over her arm lightly. Meredith sighed contentedly and the sound made him smirk happily.  
He bent his head forward slightly to let it rest on top of her head. He could feel the warmth of her skin on his cheek and mouth and couldn’t resist pressing a quick kiss to her hair.  
The blonde smiled when she felt the feather-light touch and kept leaning onto him for a few more minutes before she gradually let go of him, her lips moving upwards slightly. It expressed the gratitude and comfort she felt in his presence that she hadn’t been able to form into words yet. Andrew nodded and brushed another strand of hair from her face before letting his hands fall to his side.  
Meredith handed him a glass of water, took his free hand in his hers and pulled him towards the living room. They sat next to each other on the sofa as she switched on the TV to let whatever’s on wash over them. Back in the kitchen, both had come to the silent agreement that they didn’t want to be alone yet but also couldn’t bring themselves to say it out loud.  
Meredith hadn’t felt this comfortable in quite a while.

 

Andrew startled awake from his little nap and it took him a moment to orientate himself as memories came flooding back. He turned to his side and realised with a grin that Meredith had also fallen asleep. She lay on the sofa, rolled into a small ball and took up surprisingly much room for her tiny figure. _I wonder if she's a blanket thief._ , he pondered but shook his head quickly to get rid of the thoughts. Now was not a good time to be wondering about these things.  
Instead, he turned to look around the room to find something with which he could cover her so she wouldn’t be cold. It wasn't really cold per se but it was chilly so sleeping with a blanket would be much more comfortable. He noticed one on one of the nearby chairs and stood up cautiously to get it before gently tucking Meredith in. The sleeping woman sighed languorously and pulled the fabric closer around her.  
Tentative steps diverted his attention to the two kids that were suddenly standing behind him. Zola looked at him with wide eyes, holding Bailey's hand and as Andrews’ gaze turned to the boy he noticed the barely dried tear streaks on his face. Zola’s gaze fell on her mother who was still sleeping soundly before turning back to the young surgeon who was watching her intently.  
Bailey let go of his sister's hand and held up his arms to Andrew, a sad look in his eyes. Without hesitating, Andrew picked the boy up, rocking him slightly to calm him down.  
“What happened?”, he asked Meredith’s daughter in a whisper and brushed a hand over her hair before hugging her to his side.  
“Bailey was crying and couldn’t stop.”, she explained in a soft tone and looked to her mother once more.  
“You wanna wake her?”  
Zola mulled it over for a moment before shaking her head no and taking his hand determinedly in her own. Andrew took one last look at the sleeping figure and took Zola and Bailey upstairs. He feverishly thought about what to do next to distract the children while the young girl took him into their bedroom. He wanted to bring Bailey back to his bed but the boy wrapped his legs around his hips effectively leeching onto him so that Andrew couldn’t move the boy.  
The surgeon searched for something in the room to sit down on and found a rather large bean bag in one of the corners. He grabbed one of the blankets from the bed and settled down with it, Bailey still in his arms. He was still rocking the small boy from one side to the other and his silent tears began to soak through his shirt.  
“Hey Zola, do you want me to read something to you?”, he asked the girl, unsure if they’d still want that at their age and was quite relieved when he saw a smile and a nod from her. She briskly went to one of the shelves and got a book which she handed him almost immediately.  
“Okay…”, he positioned himself with the boy in a way that made room for Zola to sit down on the bean bag as well. She did that without any prompting and patted her brother on the arm briefly before cuddling closer to Andrew. With a bit of effort, he was able to cover them with the blanket and took the book in his hands. “ _The Tales Of Beedle The Bard_ ” it read and he started with the first chapter.  
It didn’t take long and Bailey had stopped crying, now fighting the tiredness that wanted to rock him back to sleep. Zola kept rubbing her eyes as well and Andrew pulled the kids closer to his side to make sure they were lying comfortably beside him while he kept reading quietly to them.  
He felt Bailey losing his fight as he fell asleep beside him and not long after Zolas’ head gradually fell against his shoulder, her tense muscles loosening as she gave in to the pull of sleep.  
He had intended to only stay with them like this for a few more minutes to make sure they were properly asleep before putting them in their beds. But he had underestimated his own exhaustion.  
It didn’t even take a minute until he was fast asleep as well, holding the kids in his safe embrace.

 

Meredith crinkled her nose as sun rays shone in her face, waking her up. She turned to her side lightly and almost realised too late that she wasn’t lying in her bed but on her sofa. She sat up, furrowing her brow and looked around her living room. She thought back on yesterdays’ evening and couldn’t remember Andrew leaving. She’d probably slept through it. She combed through her tousled locks and stood up to go into the bathroom. Upon walking out when she was finished, she noticed the door to the children's bedroom was further ajar than she remembered leaving it last night. She tiptoed to the door puzzled and took a look inside. Did the kids need her last night and she hadn’t heard them?  
She felt queasy at the thought but forgot it as soon as she saw her kids and Andrew.  
The sight warmed her insides and she leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over chest and a smirk on her lips, trying to soak it up to remember it for a long time.  
Andrew was simply...amazing.  
She chuckled soundlessly and couldn’t rip her gaze from the picture in front of her.  
This man did things to her that she neither had felt in a long time nor allowed herself to feel. It scared her to a certain degree. Her life was complicated and she had to think of her kids. Could she let Andrew get that close to her?  
Her head fell against the doorway and she sighed heavily. Deep within herself, she already knew that this was a fight she’d eventually lose.

Contemplating him and what he had offered her didn’t seem so hard all of a sudden. The answer was sitting right in front of her already. It had for a while now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end already, phew.  
> But I'm working on the next one already, so hopefully, you don't have to wait too long to find out how this series ends. :p


End file.
